Aug. 6, 2012: Curiosity lands on Mars

Today in the history of astronomy, scientists and the public endure “seven minutes of terror.” | Published: August 6, 2026 Famous for its selfies, Curiosity took this portrait in October 2019. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS NASA launched its Mars rover Curiosity inside the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) on Nov. 26, 2011. Complete with 10 science instruments and 17 cameras, the robot can analyze mineral types, search for signs of microbial life, and take color panoramas of the Red Planet’s surface. Curiosity’s landing on Mars was a new process, nicknamed the “seven minutes of terror” for the amount of time it took. On Aug. 6, 2012, a supersonic parachute deployed after Curiosity entered the atmosphere, the heat shield and backshell separated, and a skycrane slowly lowered the rover from the MSL to the ground. Curiosity continues to operate on Mars today, returning data and images – including selfies taken by stretching out its robotic arm. Elisa Neckar is senior production editor of Astronomy magazine, and the editor of the Today in the History of Astronomy feature on Astronomy.com.